Published: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 10:22 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 10:22 p.m.

Duncan resident Matt Bettencourt played a late-afternoon practice round Wednesday in preparation for his fourth appearance in a U.S. Open, which tees off this morning.

Merion Golf Club was already short by U.S. Open standards and after the legendary layout received a massive amount of rain earlier in the week, there were detractors saying the softened venue could end up being much too playable for what annually is the most rigorous set-up in golf.

Bettencourt debunked any such talk after finishing up his last on-course work alongside 47-year-old Spaniard Jose Maria Olazábal, a veteran of 17 U.S. Opens and 84 majors.

“It’s actually really firming up and the greens were getting to be more of a resemblance to a U.S. Open,” Bettencourt said via a Wednesday evening phone interview. “They were very firm which is great to see. The course is in immaculate condition and probably one of the best conditioned golf courses with the thickest, longest rough I’ve ever seen. It’s going to present some great challenges.

“Unfortunately we’re supposed to get pounded with rain (Thursday) around noon for the rest of the day. They’ve got a huge maintenance crew so we’ll see if it holds up. It could be a long day of waiting, but we’ll make the best of it and it won’t be the first time.”

Bettencourt tees off at 2:20 p.m. with 22-year-old amateur Max Homa, who just finished his career at the University of California, and 27-year-old Scotsman Russell Knox, who, like Bettencourt, is splitting time between the PGA and Web.com Tours.

Bettencourt made a splash in his 2009 U.S. Open debut when he tied for 10th at often rain-delayed Bethpage Black in New York, where Clemson’s Lucas Glover won. That got Bettencourt into the next year’s event at Pebble Beach where he tied for 70th. He survived qualifying last year only to miss the cut at Olympic Club.

“If you ask any player out here the U.S. Open and British Open are the two biggest tournaments in the world without a doubt for a few reasons,” Bettencourt said. “One is anybody can qualify and get in and it’s played at a different great golf course every year. Plus it’s accessible so fans from all around the world can buy tickets. It’s so difficult to get tickets to Augusta National.”

Bettencourt said the buzz is amazing around the venue and the course is going to be up to the challenge, especially on some ultra-long par-3s where Bettencourt said he witnessed Tiger Woods and Ian Poulter hit driver into the par-3 third and both came up short.

“(Olazábal) was telling me he’d never seen a set-up quite like this before. The course is so demanding off the tee with so much rough it’s really remarkable. You’ve just got to be patient, and then if the weather is bad, that adds another whole dimension. I feel like I have great patience around a golf course and have put together a great game-plan for Merion.

“Now it’s just about going out there and executing it, enjoying the moment and making some great memories for myself and my family.”

<p>Duncan resident Matt Bettencourt played a late-afternoon practice round Wednesday in preparation for his fourth appearance in a U.S. Open, which tees off this morning.</p><p>Merion Golf Club was already short by U.S. Open standards and after the legendary layout received a massive amount of rain earlier in the week, there were detractors saying the softened venue could end up being much too playable for what annually is the most rigorous set-up in golf. </p><p>Bettencourt debunked any such talk after finishing up his last on-course work alongside 47-year-old Spaniard Jose Maria Olazábal, a veteran of 17 U.S. Opens and 84 majors.</p><p>“It's actually really firming up and the greens were getting to be more of a resemblance to a U.S. Open,” Bettencourt said via a Wednesday evening phone interview. “They were very firm which is great to see. The course is in immaculate condition and probably one of the best conditioned golf courses with the thickest, longest rough I've ever seen. It's going to present some great challenges.</p><p>“Unfortunately we're supposed to get pounded with rain (Thursday) around noon for the rest of the day. They've got a huge maintenance crew so we'll see if it holds up. It could be a long day of waiting, but we'll make the best of it and it won't be the first time.”</p><p>Bettencourt tees off at 2:20 p.m. with 22-year-old amateur Max Homa, who just finished his career at the University of California, and 27-year-old Scotsman Russell Knox, who, like Bettencourt, is splitting time between the PGA and Web.com Tours.</p><p>Bettencourt made a splash in his 2009 U.S. Open debut when he tied for 10th at often rain-delayed Bethpage Black in New York, where Clemson's Lucas Glover won. That got Bettencourt into the next year's event at Pebble Beach where he tied for 70th. He survived qualifying last year only to miss the cut at Olympic Club.</p><p>“If you ask any player out here the U.S. Open and British Open are the two biggest tournaments in the world without a doubt for a few reasons,” Bettencourt said. “One is anybody can qualify and get in and it's played at a different great golf course every year. Plus it's accessible so fans from all around the world can buy tickets. It's so difficult to get tickets to Augusta National.”</p><p>Bettencourt said the buzz is amazing around the venue and the course is going to be up to the challenge, especially on some ultra-long par-3s where Bettencourt said he witnessed Tiger Woods and Ian Poulter hit driver into the par-3 third and both came up short.</p><p>“(Olazábal) was telling me he'd never seen a set-up quite like this before. The course is so demanding off the tee with so much rough it's really remarkable. You've just got to be patient, and then if the weather is bad, that adds another whole dimension. I feel like I have great patience around a golf course and have put together a great game-plan for Merion. </p><p>“Now it's just about going out there and executing it, enjoying the moment and making some great memories for myself and my family.”</p>